


August Inn

by likebunnies



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Bed & Breakfast, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Ichabbie Valentine, Kid Fic, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pregnancy, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 19:21:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9672599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likebunnies/pseuds/likebunnies
Summary: Abbie Mills is now the sheriff of Sleepy Hollow and Ichabod Crane runs a bed and breakfast because he enjoys cooking and cleaning and telling people about the history of the town. But life never stays the same for long.





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> A continuation of my baby fic called Nascent. Not that you have to read that to read this. They have a kid. Everyone is still alive. Life is always surprising.

“Why do you call Mommy 'leftenant' if she's the sheriff?” Mason asked as he handed his father another egg to add to the mushroom-shallot quiche recipe. Crane cracked it easily against the side of the bowl with one hand and added it to the other eggs before reaching for his whisk. 

“When I first met your mother, she was only a lieutenant in the Sleepy Hollow police force. Over time, it became a term of endearment – kind of like how mommy calls you 'pumpkin.' Even when she was an agent for the federal police, she preferred it if I called her lieutenant. I certainly can't break the habit now,” Crane said as his metal whisk repeatedly hit the side of the glass bowl. Mason was in charge of reading the recipe even though Crane had it already filed away in his eidetic memory. “What goes in next?”

“The cream. And the salt and the pepper. Then you pour it over the other stuff. You know this, Daddy. I helped you make it last week,” Mason said, still looking at the recipe card. He left his father's side and climbed up on his favorite stool on the other side of the kitchen island. 

It was their usual early morning cooking session. The boy was an early riser and ever since they decided to turn the abandoned property the masonic brotherhood had left to him into a bed and breakfast, so was Crane. Abbie, who relished early mornings, was usually in the kitchen with them but she had been called out late last night and was sleeping in today. 

“Never miss an opportunity to read even if it is just a recipe,” Crane said, finishing up the quiche and sticking it in the oven. He would make some scrambled eggs shortly in case someone didn't like mushrooms. It wasn't a very busy week at the inn but the few guests they had would be looking for breakfast soon. He began to assemble a plate of mini muffins and other assorted baked goods, taking one for himself and devouring it. 

“Those aren't for you!” Mason said, mimicking what Abbie told Crane when he would sample a muffin or doughnut. 

“Someone has to make sure they are of a fine enough quality for our guests,” Crane said. Mason sat silently on his stool, watching his father finish his preparations in the kitchen. Mason was still in his favorite dinosaur pajamas, his curly hair going in all directions. 

“How did you and Mommy meet again?” Mason asked. Crane smiled. He knew their son had heard the story many times before and Crane never grew tired of telling it, adding more dramatic flourishes each and every time. 

“Prison,” Crane said, arching up his eyebrow in a menacing fashion.

“No, Daddy! You were in prison! Mommy was working!” Mason said, correcting his father. 

“So you know this story?” Crane asked, encouraging the boy to go on and tell the story as he remembered hearing it. 

“You got arrested for being weird and Mommy was at the police station. Working,” Mason said. He reached for his glass of milk, took a sip, and then continued on. “She questioned you. You liked her. She liked you.”

“Not exactly that fast... but go on,” Crane said. Their son hadn't been told everything yet. He knew enough and had seen enough since they were still fighting off the apocalypse in the earliest part of his short life but he didn't need to know all the gritty details. 

“Then you had me. And nothing was ever the same again,” Mason finished. 

“A most excellent observation,” Crane said, walking to the other side of the counter and kissing his son on the top of his head. 

“Is Aunt Jenny coming over today?” Mason asked. 

Jenny would often help Crane with the day to day workings of the establishment during busier times of the year so he could also manage the historical society building, but he didn't know if she would be here today. 

“I don't know. Why don't you call her and find out?” Crane asked. Mason picked up his father's latest smart phone and dialed it with the ease of a child who had always known this technology. Crane smiled at a distant memory of him begging Abbie for a less obsolete phone than the flip phone she first gave him. 

“She will be here this afternoon but she's bringing Jessie, too. She said to warn you,” Mason said when he was done with his conversation with his aunt. Jessica Corbin was Jenny and Joe's daughter, born a year after Mason, and the two had always gotten into a lot of mischief together. A lot. 

But Crane wouldn't have expected anything less from the children of the Mills sisters. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Abbie sat on the edge of the bed trying to work up the energy to make it to the bathroom. The smell of the eggs Crane was cooking in the kitchen was enough to make her throw up. 

Oh, no. 

The smell of eggs only bothered her at one other time in her life. She quickly did some math in her head and figured out times and dates and... oh, no. 

She thought about it for another minute and smiled through the nausea. Sure, her job was very demanding right now but Mason was getting older and so were she and Crane. Maybe it was time. They had discussed having another baby but it was always 'after the apocalypse.' If there was an after. They found out that the world was going to continue on about the same time Crane found out he was now the owner of this sprawling house. They then had spent most of their free time fixing it up with the help of Joe and Jenny. Now that it was quite a well-regarded bed and breakfast and everything was running smoothly under Crane's watch, maybe it was time. 

Well, if she was actually pregnant, it didn't matter if it was time or not. There would be another Crane-Mills calling this place home next year. 

Crane came into the room carrying an armful of neatly folded towels and Abbie looked up at him, swallowing hard a few times to convince herself she wasn't going to vomit. “Oh! You're awake! Everything okay? Are you unwell?” he asked. 

“Nah. I'll let you know soon...” she said, looking toward the bathroom. He went in that direction and left the towels in there. 

“Those two nice young men in the Arabus Suite inquired whether we held weddings here for they are looking for a location for a small 'destination wedding' in the autumn of next year. It seems that maybe we can become part of the wedding industry. I did let them know that we had never held a wedding here before but that didn't seem to deter them. I will have to think about it,” Crane said, standing before Abbie, his hands folded behind his back. 

“Hey... Crane... Ichabod...”

“Abigail?” Crane said. He only did that when she used his given name. Even after all these years, it still didn't roll naturally off of her tongue. He was always going to be Crane. Her Crane. 

“Maybe there will be a wedding here before then.”

“Oh?” he asked, his eyebrow arching up. 

“Yeah, I know it doesn't matter if we're married or not at this point. No one cares. But maybe it would be nice to tie the knot before the next baby is born,” Abbie said, her eyes meeting his. A flash of realization crossed his face and he was kneeling before her a second later, taking her hands in his and kissing them gently.

“Was it the smell of the eggs?”

“Yes.”

“How long?” he asked, smiling at her so happily she hoped this wasn't a false alarm. 

“If I'm right and I am pregnant, it's not been long. Not long enough to tell everyone. I'll get a test later today. But... oh... you've got to move!” she said. He jumped to his feet and she ran past him and to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. 

“You certain you need that test?” he asked through the door a minute later, after the retching sounds had stopped. 

“Oh, shut up!” she called back at him. “And get rid of those eggs!” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Crane was just finishing up with the last tour group visiting the exhibits at the historical archives when Abbie came in. He paused, in case it was an emergency, and she motioned for him to continue on as she took a seat and listened. He was glad that he fought to keep the archives when developers tried to turn the property into a ghastly mini mall and was always happy to see guests from the inn stop by for a tour. 

As soon as the small group had cleared out, he crossed the room and sat beside Abbie. Running the inn and this place could make for long days but nothing would ever compare to war. The Revolution or the war he and Abbie fought together. This was easy after that. 

“Are the kids with Jenny?” Abbie asked. 

“Your sister agreed to watch both Mason and Miss Jessica so I could meet with a tour I scheduled in the morn,” Crane said, staring at Abbie. She was in her full sheriff's uniform and today she looked quite uncomfortable in it and shifted around in her seat numerous times. “So...”

“I took the test,” she said, her face not giving away a single hint as to what the result was. 

He could hardly contain himself and could tell she was toying with him. Crane had waited all afternoon for her to let him know for sure and now she was being... being... her! Or maybe it was a negative result? If that was it, he would accept it as not meant to be and they could discuss trying for another baby soon. Trying. They had never tried before. Mason was just a fortunate mishap and Crane wouldn't trade him for anything. He sealed their relationship in a way that even the Bible couldn't. 

“And?” he finally said, urging her on. 

“We're going to have another baby!” Abbie said, her smile lighting up the room like warm summer sunshine. He rose to his feet and pulled her out of her seat and into his arms, embracing her in a tight hug. “I know this is unplanned... again... but you are happy, right?”

“I'm beyond happy,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I'm ecstatic! It's going to be hard not to let Mason know, though. How long until we can tell him?” 

“A few weeks. Just to be sure. I wonder how he's going to take the news? He's been the only child for a while now,” Abbie said. Crane loosened his embrace and looked down at her, his eyes trying to read hers. She and her sister didn't always have the best relationship and God knows he and his two brothers could have killed each other many times over during some of their spats but he was certain that their son wouldn't mind a new addition. He got along wonderfully with his cousin and he was very smart and mature for his age. He was the perfect balance of the best of Crane and Abbie, a living testament to their partnership. 

Surely he wouldn't mind a brother or sister living with him?

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“No.”

“Listen, Mason... pumpkin. This isn't exactly up for a vote. You are going to have a sibling. I am having a baby,” Abbie said to her son, the word pumpkin sounding rather forced this time instead of the way she usually used it with him. Sitting on his kitchen stool, he had just finished a rather philosophical rant about why he was against the idea of bringing another person into the house. 

“No.”

“Yes.”

She looked into her son's serious brown eyes and tried to figure out what was behind all of this. He was only six years old. It wasn't like they were going to ask him to give up his weekends to babysit. Crane had mostly remained silent during this conversation, tossing in a few lines here and there about how much fun having a new sibling would be. Mason was having none of it as he pushed away his afternoon snack. 

“No,” he said one more time and Abbie just about had enough of this. Crane finally put his hands on her shoulders and gently stopped her from saying whatever she was going to say next. 

“There's going to be a wedding,” Crane said, diverting and deflecting the child's attention away from the baby issue. Mason looked away from Abbie and to his father. 

“With balloons? And cake?” he asked. 

The kid was stubborn, quick-witted, and a bit of a control freak but he was still a kid. 

“Of course. There will be an enormous cake,” Crane said. 

“And a bounce house?” Mason asked. 

“Have you ever been to a wedding with a bounce house?” Abbie asked incredulously, wondering how far Crane would be willing to go. Their son was great at bargaining for things and his dad was a sucker for the sad, puppy dog eyes. She knew that Crane was trying to make up for the first child he never got to raise but sometimes, he'd let this one get away with too much. She laughed at that. His first son tried to bring about the end of the world and she was worrying about this one and a bounce house. 

“I can't say I have but ours is not a traditional relationship to begin with so perhaps this time, there can be a bounce house,” Crane said, looking perplexed. 

Abbie knew perfectly well that Crane was aware of what a bounce house was, having taken Mason to enough of his friend's birthday parties over the last few years. Crane had even taken off his boots and bounced himself. Perhaps the expression on his face was more about what others would think of this, especially if he was really trying to market the bed and breakfast in the wedding industry. 

“Then Jessie and I will have something to do,” Mason said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

“Besides being my best man? That is going to be a very important job,” Crane added. 

“Only if there's a bounce house.”

“There's still going to be a baby,” Abbie tossed in there in case anyone forgot how this conversation had started. 

“Can I go and play with my toys whilst they are all still mine?” Mason asked. Abbie motioned for him to go. She would deal with him later when his father wasn't around giving into his whims. He slid off of his stool and hurried out of the room and down the hall. 

“I can't begin to imagine from whom he inherited that jealous streak,” Crane said. Abbie noticed he didn't say it with any irony or sarcasm and she began to laugh. 

“You're kidding, right? All I have to say is that when I was a girl I never imagined that my wedding would have any of these elements – a bounce house, a guy born in the 18th century, my school-aged son, another child on the way, and a bed and breakfast that I own part of. Not even in my wildest dreams,” Abbie said, sighing. 

“Yet, somehow we make it work,” Crane said, pulling Abbie into his arms and into a tight embrace. “We always make it work.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The day was nearly perfect. The weather was cool and dry and all the guests had a magnificent time. The castle bouncy house was straight out of a wedding planner's nightmare but all the guests who brought their children were glad for it since it allowed them a chance to dance and enjoy themselves without anyone complaining that they were bored. Crane had the party rental place put it in a location where it didn't show up in every photo taken. He was trying hard to break into the wedding industry with his beloved inn and he needed the photos to show how beautiful the place could be when decorated in full wedding splendor. 

Since Abbie was in most of the pictures, they were naturally going to be the most stunning photographs ever taken. Her dress was out of one of those fairy tale movies Mason loved and Miss Jessica tolerated while rolling her eyes. Abbie's hair was styled perfectly, with ringlets of curls escaping in just the right places, touching her bare shoulders. 

He couldn't help but stare at his bride. His wife. It was so different this time around. He was so much older now, he thought, and then chuckled. So much older. 

This was never the life he had imagined. Not one single moment of it was even probable. But there she was, smiling and laughing with the a few of the guests, a champagne flute filled with sparkling cider in her hand. His son had fallen asleep a few hours ago, exhausted from the day. It had taken him a while but he was beginning to accept that his parents' love wasn't going to be divided by a new sibling but multiplied. 

The fact that he got to help choose the thing called a 'groom's cake' helped a lot, too. Crane didn't know that a cake so contain so much chocolate. 

Abbie set down her glass and walked towards him, her face incandescent with joy. He smiled at the playful way her dress floated around her feet, like she was a princess moving along on a current of air. 

“Mr. Crane,” Abbie said, tucking her arm into his. 

“Mrs. Crane-Mills,” he said, enjoying the way that sounded. He was used to it since it was Mason's last name but now it was Abbie's, too, and he had most everything he ever wanted in this second chance at life he was granted. 

“Our son is asleep. Jenny and Joe have the inn all under control. Most of the guests that are staying the night here are all tucked in their beds or getting ready to go in that direction... so...” she said, looking up at him with those eyes. Those eyes. He had never wanted her more in his life. 

“So...”

“You ready to call it a night?” she said, reaching out to touch the lapel of his coat. 

“Are you tired, Mrs. Crane-Mills?” he asked. “Do you want me to tuck you into bed?”

“Not exactly,” she said playfully. “There will probably be a bed involved sooner or later... but no tucking.”

“That's too bad. A good tuck can be...” he started but before he could finish, she put her hands on his face and pulled him into a kiss. It wasn't the sweet kiss they shared in front of the magistrate nor was it the kiss they shared when the guests demanded it during the reception, clinking their knives loudly on their glassware. This one was a promise of things to come yet that night. 

“You ready to go?” Abbie asked after the kiss ended. 

“I still can't believe we own an inn and yet we have to go stay somewhere else,” Crane said. Abbie kissed him again, silencing him for a minute. 

“You would worry about what needed to be done here instead of worrying about... other things,” she said. “Besides, we'll be back in a few days. Then you can worry your pretty little head all about guest bookings and laundry and the breakfast menu.”

“You think my head is pretty?” 

“Yes, I do. And your eyes. And your mouth. And this spot right here... I love that spot... and this...” she said, kissing him more and more. Music was playing for the few guests that remained out under the wedding tent they had and no one was paying any attention to them. 

“We... I... we better go soon,” he said, finding it hard to step away from her mouth. “Lieutenant...”

“Captain...”

“These breeches can hide a lot of things but I think we'll need to be able to say goodnight to our remaining guests and I won't...”

She stopped and laughed. “I'm glad I still have it in me after all this time. Pregnant and all. Let's get out of here.” She took his hand in hers, kissing the back of it like he had done to her so often over the years. He stared at her, certain this would be the last image he remembered before he died. His beautiful Abbie. His wife. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Buttons. There were so many buttons. Abbie had tried to convince Crane to wear modern attire for just one day but instead, here she was battling button after button on colonial formal wear from hell. He unlaced the corset ribbons on the back of her gown with ease, letting the whole fluffy thing drop to the floor. She stepped out of it and watched as his eyes drank her in one more time. She had to admit she looked damn good for someone who was pregnant and had helped put together a wedding in just two months while being the sheriff of the town. 

“Help!” she said, finally giving up on trying to figure his tedious clothing out. It wasn't his usual daily 'inn and archives' outfit and she wasn't patient enough for this. His fingers quickly unfastened everything and she helped him tug his shirt over his head before sending it in the direction of her gown. 

When they had started planning the wedding, they had toyed with the idea of abstaining from having sex again until this night. That lasted a good four and a half hours. This second trimester was going much like it had with their first child and she wanted him. It was harder now with their jobs and having a child around but they made do. 

The two honeymooners stumbled to the bed, hands all over each other. Mouths and tongues met and explored old familiar territory as if it was all brand new. They rarely had time alone without a care in the world. This was magnificent. 

At his urging, she parted her thighs and his fingers found her clit, swirling and stroking her in the way she liked most. She moaned against his mouth and it wasn't long before her brain could only think of one thing. Abbie gently guided him to where she needed him right now, his tongue and lips now paying sweet attention to her clit while his fingers worked in and out of her, doing everything just right. She used to think it would get boring after so many years being with the same person but with Crane, it just got better the longer they knew each other. Time brought about a certain intimacy that made up for what faded from those first fiery months together. 

Her husband brought her to orgasm over and over before he finally crawled up the bed and settled in between her legs.

“Is this still comfortable?” he asked. That could change from day to day depending on how things were going with her ever-changing body. 

“This will be better,” she said, moving them so he was on his back and she was on top. She liked it this way best anyway. They had the next few days alone together for a short honeymoon and she planned to have him just like this a lot. And maybe up against the wall a few times while it was still manageable. 

She sank down on his cock and moaned once more at the sensation of him filling her completely. Abbie moved, staring into his eyes, barely able to make out the blue around his dilated pupils. The satisfied look on his face was enough to make her heart skip a beat. Even after all this time. He mouthed 'I love you' and she leaned forward to kiss his rosy lips. 

“Love you, too,” she said breathlessly against this mouth. She moved again, rising and falling above him, and soon he was coming and crying out her name. They were both covered with a sheen of sweat and breathing heavily when she fell down beside him, cradled in his arms. 

“Married sex isn't half bad,” she said, making him laugh. 

“I plan to enjoy it fully since I know once our next baby arrives...” 

“Shh... don't even think about the sleepless nights and endless days while were here. Well, sleepless nights because of a baby. We can have our own sleepless nights,” she said, her fingers playing with the hair on his chest

“I am an old, married man now. I might need a nap here and there,” Crane said, kissing the top of her head. 

“We'll just have to see about that,” Abbie said with a yawn. She knew she should climb out of this bed and wash all the wedding make-up off of her face and fix her hair for the night but it was so warm next to him. She'd go in a minute and maybe put on that lingerie Jenny insisted she needed because that was tradition. Like anything they had ever done was traditional. She yawned again, content now. “You'll see. I have plans for you, Ichabod Crane.”

Those plans would have to wait. It had been a very long and eventful day and it wasn't long before they were both snoring softly in each others arms. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

To Be Continued...


	2. A Twist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe things weren't as settled as they once thought.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“Don't forget you have a parent/teacher's meeting this afternoon,” Abbie said as she walked through the kitchen to the two coffee pots. 

“Pardon?” 

“This afternoon you have an appointment with Ms. Bell at 3 p.m. to discuss Mason's latest behavior,” Abbie said. Crane stopped prepping his muffin tray and looked at his wife. She was dressed in her maternity sheriff's outfit and the uniform made her look extra round. He would never tell her that, though. Not if he wanted to live another day. She was still armed, after all. 

“He's been at this school for two months. How can there be a meeting already?” Crane asked. 

“Apparently your son likes to let the other kids know when they are wrong and he is rather expressive about it. I told you about this the other night when you brought him home from tee ball practice. Remember?” Abbie asked. 

He vaguely remembered something about his son naturally always being right but he couldn't remember that this had led to a meeting. This had also been a problem in preschool and kindergarten but no special meetings had ever been called. He was curious as to what this Ms. Bell was going to say yet hesitant about going without Abbie. She was so much better versed on modern educational practices than he was. 

Crane handed Abbie her morning bran muffin and she sipped her decaf coffee and sighed. 

“Are you sure you want me to attend this meeting on my own?” Crane asked. 

“Oh, I'm sure it will be good for his teacher to see what parent he inherited this behavior from. Please try not to tell her she's wrong too many times or give her a lecture on pedagogy of the 18th century,” Abbie said but Crane could make no promises. 

“I promise I will forego bringing up the golden maxim of 'spare the rod and spoil the child' for I am not my father,” he said, drifting away in thought of his father's teaching style. The idea that a child would remember the difficult and often painful lesson and appreciate it later was best left in another era. 

“Right. Because we all know who really spoils that child around here. And it isn't me,” Abbie said, giving Crane a look that brought him out of his reverie. 

“He is a fine young man,” Crane said. “And our next child will be as equally as fine.”

“Yeah, let's just hope the next one doesn't find it necessary to correct everyone whenever they make a simple error in the retelling of Itsy Bitsy Spider,” Abbie said. 

“It's important to get it right,” Crane said with a shrug. Surely Abbie had to know the importance of folktales and songs and teaching the next generation about a shared heritage?

“Um hmm...” Abbie said as she took her coffee and headed out of the kitchen. “Let me know how it goes.” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The call from Crane came sooner than she expected. She had just finished up a meeting and was on the phone with her GYN/OB's office trying to see if she could make her next appointment a few hours earlier in the morning. She had to hang up on them to take the urgent call from her husband. 

“We're changing schools. There is no way our child can attend that... that... I don't even know how to describe it. They were teaching nothing when I arrived. It was madness. I've seen classes before, Abbie. Have seen plenty of tours with the students at the archives. I have been invited to speak on the history of Sleepy Hollow but I have never seen anything like this,” Crane said. Abbie moved her cell phone from one ear to the other. 

“Did I forget to mention that it was field day? Be glad it wasn't our turn to volunteer. Just wait until spring...” Abbie said, hearing Crane's frustrated sigh. 

“His teacher, if you can call her that...”

“Yes, Ms. Bell.”

“Mizz Bell,” Crane said, pronouncing her name way over the top even for him. “She said she can't wait for our next child to attend their school. Our daughter. Did you neglect to tell me something?”

“Um... no. You think that's something I would tell Mason's teacher but not you? Just in a random conversation in the parent pick-up line?” Abbie said, trying to figure out exactly where this conversation was headed. “I have no clue what we're having yet. You've been with me at all the ultrasounds and I keep telling them I want it to be a surprise.” 

“No, I did not think that was something you'd tell her. But she says Mason keeps telling her about his baby sister. Now the whole school is excited for another Mills – she said just Mills. Not Crane-Mills – to be joining them, especially a girl. It was rather perplexing” Crane said. 

“Mason is more than likely just guessing. Perhaps he wants a sister so that's what he tells people,” Abbie said. She would have to talk to him later. Not that she cared what other people thought or said, really, but she'd rather not have to explain anything that didn't need to be explained. She was the sheriff and everyone knew her around town. She didn't need this to be one more question along with how much longer until she popped and what names did she have picked out. 

“We will discuss it this evening when you get home. Speaking of this evening – what would you like to eat, love? Are you still off Italian food?” Crane asked. 

“Just use a little less garlic and it should be okay. Oh, and onions are killing me, too. Okay, maybe the tomatoes...” Abbie said, trying to get back to work while continuing this conversation. 

“So you would like a plain bowl of pasta and nothing but the pasta? Or does the pasta cause stomach upset, too?” he asked and she realized that pretty much everything caused indigestion right now and pasta probably would, too. 

“Just make whatever you and Mason want and I'll eat what I can,” she said and he told her he'd figure it out and they said their goodbyes and I love yous. Never, ever end a phone conversation with her husband without saying that, she told herself every day. You never knew what might happen next. 

She looked at the clock on her office wall and wished she could just go home already and rest her feet but she had to call her doctor again and then get through all this paperwork and figure out her schedule for tomorrow. She didn't know what he was going to be cooking up at home, but she was suddenly thankful she wasn't the one who had to go home and do that yet on top of everything else. Having a house Crane did come in handy at times. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“I told her that because it's true,” Mason said, glancing up from the jigsaw puzzle he was putting together and giving his parents an exasperated look. “I'm having a sister. I know this.”

“How would you know that? Daddy and I don't even know,” Abbie asked. They held off on the questions until after Crane had finished cleaning up the dinner dishes. He was standing in the dining room, still holding the towel he had used to dry some of the dishes and staring at his son. 

“Maybe you should find out. Then you'd know I'm right. People find out before the baby is born all the time now. I don't know why you haven't. Not that it matters. I already know,” he said, shaking his head and putting another piece into his puzzle. 

“The point is, Mason, you can believe what you would like to believe but your mother and I would prefer it if you didn't tell people like Ms. Bell or any of your other teachers or friends. Or at least not with such conviction. You can tell them you hope you are going to have a sister,” Crane said. The way the teacher had told him about this today, it was as if she was absolutely sure of it and not just basing it on the wishes of a small child. 

“Okay, okay. I mean does it matter what you're having?” Mason asked. Crane and Abbie both answered no at the same time. “Good. But you are having a girl.” 

“Right,” Abbie said, just giving up on the conversation for now and turning to leave the room before Crane stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

“That is the way it is written. That's what they said. The way it was always going to be,” Mason added, his voice suddenly monotone and other-worldly. He was back to being completely focused on his puzzle. Too focused. His fingers were flying over the pieces and he was putting them in place like he already knew the order they should go in and not like they were randomly spread on the table. 

“Wait. What now?” Abbie said and Crane released her and gave his son a questioning look. Abbie touched the boy's forehead with her hand and shook her head. “He's not feverish so I don't know what he's talking about. Mason? What are... what is going on? Crane?” 

Crane picked his son up from the chair and held him close, rocking his tense body. Mason had been holding onto a puzzle piece and soon it fell from his fingers and landed on the floor. He began to relax again and pulled away from Crane's grip on him. 

“Ms. Bell said this is a good thing,” Mason said, his eyes imploring for his father to understand. He squirmed out of Crane's arms and ran from the room, the puzzle and everything else seemingly forgotten. 

“What the hell?” Abbie asked. Crane looked as his wife and the wished he had an answer for her. She looked panicked, her eyes filled with a fear he hadn't seen in them in ages. Not since the end of their battles against the forces of supernatural evil in this town. 

“I don't know,” he said, now wrapping her tiny but rounded frame in his arms the best he could. 

“We're both going to see that teacher tomorrow. I don't care what else is on my schedule. Something weird is happening and I want some answers,” she said. 

“I told you I didn't like that place,” Crane murmured as he continued to rock his wife in his arms. She had enough to deal with every day without... whatever this was. He was going to make sure that nothing else was added to her worries. She was tough, yes, but that didn't mean he couldn't try his best to stop whatever he could when he had the chance. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“We were so pleased when we found out your son was coming to this school, Mrs. Crane-Mills. Or Sheriff Crane-Mills?” Ms. Bell asked from across the conference table in the room off from the front office. It was decorated in basic school building, with walls that tried to be a little cheerier than beige by adding a tinge of yellow. The table had a fake dark wood grain and the chairs squeaked when anyone moved. The adults all looked like they were happy they got to sit in real chairs instead of those tiny classroom chairs. 

“Abbie is fine,” Abbie said. “Abbie and Ichabod.” 

They had both thought they were meeting with just Mason's teacher but instead, five other women joined them. And one man who stayed to himself in the corner, looking through a file folder instead of paying any attention to the rest of the group. 

“So, Abbie... I understand that you and Mason's father are concerned with some of the things he's saying about your baby?” Ms. Bell said, nodding at Abbie's abdomen. Abbie rested her hands on top of the roundness in the way most pregnant women do but now she slid her hands down to rest in front, as if protecting her unborn baby. She didn't know why she felt the urge to do so. 

“We are concerned that he is certain he is going to have a sister and that you agree with him.”

“Of course I agree with him. It's the truth. Why would I disagree with Mason?” Ms. Bell asked. Abbie had to stop gaping at the woman sitting across from her. All the other women in the room were nodding in agreement. 

“What are you talking about?” Abbie asked, looking to Crane. He was in just as much shock as she was. 

The man who had been standing silently in the corner finally said said something. 

“The children of the two Witnesses. Surely you had to think that perhaps they would have some abilities? When you had your son, did strange things happen around you?” the man asked. Neither of them answered. “The only difference now is it's not evil trying to seek them out. It's something far from that.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

They had been sitting in their parked car outside of the school for at least five minutes now, neither of them knowing what to say just yet. Crane turned to Abbie in the passenger seat, opened his mouth, and tried to say something but then turned back to look at the school before them, mouth closed but working his jaw as if he was trying to solve some problem. 

“Did that man just suggest this school has some sort of a Hogwarts program going on?” Abbie finally managed to say after a few more minutes of thought. 

“I do believe he did,” Crane said with a nod. 

“And that our children belong there because they are... gifted in that field?” Abbie added. 

“Yes.” 

They had both known that this was a possibility – not the Hogwarts of Sleepy Hollow, but the fact that Abbie's ancestors all seemed to have some unique abilities, right down to her own ability as Witness and demon fighter extraordinaire. Crane had thought that someday, his second wife might even begin to follow in the path of Mrs. Grace Dixon and become more interested in whatever other talents she might possess in the field of witchcraft. He had hoped that the tragic way his first marriage had ended didn't deter her from any such things. 

“It's not as impressive as Hogwarts,” Abbie joked. 

“Perhaps it is but we just can't see it since we're Muggles,” Crane joked back. 

“Not according to them. Well, you're a Muggle. But I'm not,” Abbie said, still looking at the school. “Still looks like an ordinary school, though.”

“What are we going to do?” Crane asked after more silent contemplation. 

“First, I'm going to call my doctor and arrange and ultrasound. Might as well find out for ourselves what everyone else seems to be convinced they already know. Second, you're going to do the research. You know, like you always do. I can tell you're dying to get back to archives already,” Abbie said. This was true. Crane knew a few sources he was anxious to look into. 

“And then?”

“We'll do what we always do. Deal with whatever situation might arise,” Abbie said. She reached over and entwined his fingers in hers. “And tomorrow, you'll get up and make breakfast for your guests and I'll go to work and we'll do what we always do. Together.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^* 

“You're kidding, right?” Abbie asked. Crane gave her a shrug and set the box of chocolates down. It was Valentine's Day and he was trying his best to make their first Valentine's Day together as a married couple a nice one and Abbie knew she should be more appreciative especially considering how busy the inn had been because of the holiday. 

But Abbie also knew she was five days overdue and all she cared about was that their baby girl needed to get the hell out and soon. 

“I do love you, Abbie,” he said. Mason had already given her a pile of cards he crafted out of construction paper and bits of yarn and Abbie was putting them up on the refrigerator, magnets holding them securely in place. Her son had even written her a Valentine's message in his magnetic alphabet letters. She was assuming it was Mason. It just spelled out a multicolored 'LOVE YOU' so it could have been Crane. Hell, maybe the baby was one hell of a witch and she had done it from inside Abbie's uterus. 

“I love you, too, Crane. I kind of hate you a little right now, though, because, well... you know. This is because of you,” Abbie said, her hands reaching around her abdomen. 

“I'm quite certain you were there, too,” he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. Mason made a gagging sound from his seat at the kitchen counter. 

“Yes. But I'm the only one who is going to be delivering this child so...”

“Shut up?”

“Yes, please,” she said, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of juice. She couldn't wait until the day came that she could drink real coffee again. Or wine. This obviously wasn't as bad as the time she spent away in various purgatories and hells but it was getting close. 

Two more days and they would induce. Two very long days with no sleep and a lot of peeing in the middle of the night. She couldn't even get herself out of the bed easily. Crane had to help her. She didn't remember ever being this huge with Mason. Their daughter was taking up every inch of space she could and staying put. Stubborn little thing. Just like her father. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“What's this then?” Crane asked as Abbie roused him from his sleep. He hadn't been sleeping long and the television was still on in their room so he knew she hadn't been to sleep yet at all. Not that she slept much lately anyway. “Is it time? The baby?”

“Not exactly,” Abbie said. She was running one of her hands over his chest and then down further. Her fingers crossed over his abdomen, making him tremble and his breath catch ever so slightly. 

“Getting into the Valentine's Day mood after all?” he asked. She slid her hand under his flannel pajama pants and lightly touched his cock. That was enough. It was certainly in the mood for her. Even as rotund and moody as she was, he still wanted her every second of the day. 

“It's a theory that sex can induce labor. I'm ready to try anything,” Abbie said. 

“You're using me?” Crane said with mock indignation. 

“I'm using you. God, yes. I'm using you,” Abbie said when he slid his hand over her belly and between her thighs, seeking out her clit. He loved the sound of her moans even if they were slightly drowned out by the noise of some man on the television guessing about tomorrow's weather on the late night news. 

“Abbie, what would be most comfortable... for you?” he asked. 

They fumbled around a bit, shedding their night clothes, and finally managed something side by side so he could still see her face when he entered her. It was slow and sweet, as if they both knew this could be it for a while. They laughed and joked at how ridiculous they probably looked trying to maneuver around her round belly and he brought her hands up to his lips and kissed her fingertips. He loved her like this, so full of life and so beautiful. 

His fingers worked her clit until she was coming, her eyes closed tight and her mouth open, gasping for breath. He came soon after her, the world disappearing for a few seconds and then everything coming back into focus. Abbie coming back into focus. Abbie looking perfect. 

He didn't want to pull out of her. He wanted to stay joined with her like this for as long as possible. Nothing was better than the two of them being one. Or however many people were in the room right now. He didn't want to think about that. 

“Happy Valentine's Day, Crane,” Abbie said, finally pulling away from him. He was ready to snuggle but she apparently was not. “I love you but I really have to go pee.” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“I see it didn't work,” Crane said as Abbie came into the kitchen and poured herself some juice. She maneuvered around him and grabbed the loaf of bread so she could make toast. She didn't feel like eating much more than that. She didn't feel like doing much of anything. The baby had dropped lower and that just made her want to pee. Again. And again. And complain. She felt it was her right to complain at this point. 

“Nope.”

“We can always try again,” Crane said right before Mason came into the kitchen and asked for a bowl of Lucky Charms. 

“Try what?” their son asked, digging into his breakfast cereal. Nothing ever escaped his ears. 

“Try getting you to school on time today,” Abbie said, reaching out and ruffling his curls. 

They hadn't told him anything about his school or what the teachers had told them months earlier. It just never seemed like the right time. Besides, Abbie had yet to figure out how to tell her son that he could possibly be a witch. The teachers didn't like the term warlock or wizard or any of that, instead saying that both men and women could be witches. She wasn't sure if this was some sort of modern way to teach witchcraft but what did she have to compare it to? 

Nothing. Like most of her life. There wasn't anything to compare it to. 

“Mommy, are you okay?” Mason asked, bringing Abbie back from her daydreams. She wasn't sure how to answer. She felt tired and was lugging around an extra human being that was causing her pain just about everywhere. 

“Yeah, why?” Abbie asked. Mason looked down and then looked her in the eye. He looked more than a little concerned. 

“Because I think you just wet yourself.” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“She's magnificent,” Crane said, holding his daughter while his son looked at his sister with a pretend look of apathy. He was curious but wasn't going to let on that he might care a little. “Just like her big brother was on the day he was born.”

“She looks scrunched up if you ask me,” Mason said, leaving his father's side to return to his coloring books and paper. 

“I'd hope so since she was inside of me for all that time and not hanging around in her own bedroom. That's why you no longer look scrunched like that. You have your own room,” Abbie said and Mason just smiled at his mom, shook his head, and grabbed some crayons. 

“Grace Cassandra Crane-Mills,” Crane said, rocking his fussy daughter in his arms. “With the unusual eyes.”

“Yeah, what's up with that?” Abbie asked. Crane sat down gently beside her on the hospital bed and Abbie pulled the swaddling back so she could touch her daughter's tiny hands one more time. 

“I suppose only time will tell. She looks just like her beautiful mother. Except the eyes,” he said, handing the infant to her mother. Mason came over with a drawing and begged for his father to pick him up and hold him. He handed his latest artwork over to Abbie and she smiled and showed it to Crane. It was the four of them standing next to a block-shaped house with a round orange sun shining its rays down upon them. The August Inn sign was in front of the house and 'V' shaped birds were winging their way across the sky. 

And it was perfect. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The End


End file.
